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9 Short Book Reviews | Books I’ve Read Lately
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Over the last few months I’ve fallen back in love with reading. I’ve written 9 short book reviews which summarise all of my most recent reads, reviewed in no particular order.
A SINGLE THREAD by TRACY CHEVALIER
Some of my favourite literature is that which draws on the ordinary. Talent is to write life into relatable characters, revealing perspectives of people who have lived through things we can only imagine.
Tracy Chevalier’s protagonist, Violet, is a ‘surplus woman’. She is one of many who lost the men they loved to the first world war. We see Violet’s struggle to move on from the grief of losing both her brother and her fiancé. We journey with Violet in adapting to accept new ways of living life. Despite the stark differences between the times, it’s hard as a woman not to relate to Violet. The intricacies of her family life, her craving for relationships and her search for independence are familiar pursuits. This book also holds us witness to both the personal and societal grief of how many men we lost in war.
3/5
THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB by RICHARD OSMAN
‘In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case.’
Richard Osman is perhaps best known for his career as a tv presenter and producer. His series of crime fiction novels are redefining this legacy in his favour. The Thursday Night Murder Club is unlike any murder mystery I’ve ever read. It’s funny, touching and exhibits a sheer lack of remorse for the victims. Diary entries from old dear, Joyce, offer a welcome perspective of the unlikely goings on at an upper class assisted living complex. Woven into the murder mystery are details of past lives and perspectives on the implications of ageing. It tugs on the heart strings will probably guilt you into visiting your Nan.
4/5
THE OUTCAST DEAD by ELLY GRIFFITHS
I was happy to discover the ties of this book to my home county of Norfolk. That is, until the specific geographic details became more a downfall in inaccuracy. Elly Griffiths probably hoped that the story would welcome the reader to relate or connect to the characters, to wonder who is abducting children and signing off as ‘the childminder’. As a reader I’m almost frustrated with myself that the inaccurate representation of Norfolk (with a couple of accurate parts thrown in) took away from the story for me. But I wonder, why bother including so many true details only to misrepresent them?
Aside from my own prejudices, it was an easy read but nothing special. Although these won’t matter to anyone unfamiliar with Norwich, Kings Lynn, or the North Norfolk coast. The gory historical tale of Mother Hook was potentially the most inventive and intriguing aspect. Despite this, there was a lot of uninteresting and less believable surrounding fluff which did little more than bulk out the book.
3/5
GIRL A by ABIGAIL DEAN
Girl A is the oldest female survivor of a family filled with neglect and abuse. Lex Gracie introduces us to her siblings as they are now and as they once were, leading us through their childhood in a heartbreakingly casual way. She describes how a near-normal childhood gradually turned into a nightmare in which she was starved and detained by chains by an extremist religious fanatic father. We struggle with her in trying to understand the role of an older brother who had more liberties and a mother who was also traumatised, but who never attempted to prevent the horrors of what happened.
The ending took my breath away.
4/5
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<h4>THE SILENT COMPANIONS by LAURA PURCELL</h4>
<p>If you want spooky, this is the best of this bunch. A creepy book deserving of a Halloween season. The Silent Companions cleverly flicks between three historical time periods. We follow female protagonists who have suffered independently and continue to suffer by the torment of a cursed house. Haunted houses aren’t usually something I’d show much interest. This specific type though, is unique and completely enthralling.</p>
<p>4/5</p>
<h4>YOUR BLUE EYED BOY by HELEN DUNMORE</h4>
<p>My favourite of these autumn reads is Your Blue Eyed Boy. A story of emotional manipulation forged from the lost love of a past life. It reminds me a little of Ordinary People by Sally Rooney in the way that it discloses the intricacies of everyday life within a young relationship. It’s the type of book which throws light on the infinite number of paths that life lays out for us and how dramatically the final destinations differ.</p>
<p>5/5</p>
<h4>HIMSELF by JESS KIDD</h4>
<p>Set in Ireland, the language variations made this a slightly more challenging read for me. Stylist magazine label it ‘other-worldly’, and considering its inclusion of magic and ghosts I can’t think of a more accurate adjective.</p>
<p>The book opens when a young mother is brutally murdered whilst her baby boy lies just feet away. When the mystery murder returns for the child, he has disappeared only to be found safe and sound at an orphanage. I hate to kill any suspense but the beginning of the book is by far the most gripping, everything after is slightly anti-climatic.</p>
<p>3/5</p>
<h4>HOW TO BE GOOD by NICK HORNBY</h4>
<p>This book invited me to question how good of a person I actually am. The story follows the Carr family, and more specifically the conflict within their marriage. We discover the repercussions of the husband, who is known for his chronically negative sarcasm, turning into an everyday saint who gives away their possessions and invites strangers to live with them. It’s funny and thought-provoking, but also repetitive in places, coming close to exhausting some of the points it’s trying to make.</p>
<p>How to be Good asks whether the more common superficial goods like working in respectable professions and teaching our children the difference between right and wrong are quite enough. How dramatically are you willing to change your life to be a genuinely good person?</p>
<p>3/5</p>
<h4>THE BIG SLEEP by RAYMOND CHANDLER</h4>
<p>Written in the 1930s, The Big Sleep is another book which proved to be a slightly more challenging read. It’s unique, filled with drama, and quite satisfying in an odd way.</p>
<p>Set in the States, it’s all you would expect of an old-fashioned mystery-thriller. Every hunch of private detective Marlowe leads him to danger and gangsters who try to shoot him down.</p>
<p>4/5</p>
<p>If you enjoyed these short book reviews and fancy a couple more recommendations, check out <strong>my previous reading challenges.</strong></p>
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